Snowy Haunted Horrors
by nhairnuattoa7
Summary: Ash, Misty, and Brock are headed back to Pallet Town for the holidays but are forced to stay in the Viridian Forrest over night. Brock tells a story of a local phantom that looms throughout the forrest... is his story true?
1. Humble Beginnings

**Hello everyone! Just wanted to thank you very much for taking the time to read my story! I've worked on this story for a couple of weeks and I hope that it can be satisfying for you to read! I do apologize if there are some details that might be missing from the chapters, and I do apologize about this (I only did a read-out-loud type of review so I don't know how much I have missed! .)**

**Any-who, I do hope that you enjoy this story! If you could please take the time to write a review, even if its just a few words, on your views on how I did with this story, it is very much appreciated! Don't be afraid to criticize on something you don't like, I just ask that you keep it respectable. Again, thank you very much for reading my story! I hope you enjoy it! :)**

**I will also mention that when I started writing this story, it was meant to go in a consistent flow-type story but I felt that chapters would be more necessary for FanFiction.. so I do apologize for the awkward break between each chapter. If you prefer me to do it as one-story-one-chapter type, just let me know and I'll fix it for you. Thanks a lot!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Poke'mon in any shape or form what-so-ever. _

"Ash, we have to stop for the night!"

"No! We've gotta keep going until we get to the next town!"

"It's getting late, Ash, we won't be able to see soon!"

"Come on! I bet you we are almost there!"

The group was moving through the Viridian Forest, headed towards Pallet town, for the Christmas holidays. Ash couldn't wait to get back home enjoy the couple of days off from his normal training to be with his friends. But, of course, he was pushing every one to a limit that they didn't enjoy quite as much, especially for Misty.

"For goodness sake, could we at least stop for a break!" Misty retorted once more to Ash.

"But.. but we're almost there!"

"You said that an hour ago! Ash, we have to stop! Please!" Misty pleaded now. Ash looked back at Misty, and noticed that she was starting to shiver from the cold. Being Misty, she normally didn't wear longer clothing and the cold was starting to get to her... she needed to warm up.

"Okay," Ash sighed, in defeat, "We can stop for the night.. we can get some rest and warm up.." He exclaimed.

"Oh thank you, Ash!" Misty squealed, almost giving him a massive hug but constraining herself.

"It's no trouble at all.. I'm doing what's best for the team." He sighed again, which lead him to getting smacked by Misty. "Ouch!" he said, rubbing the back of his head, "What was that for? You want to hug me one second and now you want to harm me! What the deal?"

Misty blushed, though still keeping her fists clenched. "For you information, I didn't have any thought of giving YOU a hug! And secondly, you should think about your tone of words before you speak out!"

"Who says I need to! I truly did mean that!"

Misty gave a haughty laugh. "Y-Yeah right, you did!"

"I'm being serious!"

"Prove it!"

"Alright, I will! I was going to keep on going, knowing that we would be close to the nearest town, but since I saw that you were starting to shiver from the cold I thought it would be best to stop for the night, so that you will be able to warm up and get some good sleep!" He retorted back, which actually left him blushing slightly. Misty was shocked that he actually seemed to be telling the truth after all! It made her smile hearing this, even in his moody tone, and blushed herself to hear of his actual compassion.

"Aww, how romantic! Ashy cares about her, isn't that sweet?" Brock chirped in from nearby. Both Ash and Misty started blushing like mad, embarrassed that Brock was hearing this whole conversation.

"I-uh-" Ash stammered, seeing that Misty was looking at him for an answer. She turned to Brock.

"What's the big idea!?" she yelled at him.

Brock started laughing, "I'm just playing with you guys! Jeez, you don't need to get defensive.."

"Who says I am!?" Misty shouted back.

"Me," he smartly remarked, "Besides, they do say that getting defensive over someone is a big sign of affection." Brock snickered to himself. Misty felt her blush coming over herself.

"Take that back!" she roared. She started to clench her fist up, but Ash stepped in, putting his hand on top of her hand. Misty looked back startled to see a boy with his face red with blush looking back at her.

"Why don't we just get back to the issue on hand.." he cooly mentioned to both Misty and Brock.

"Ehh, right." Misty replied, cooling down her temper, "Brock, you have the tent with you, right?"

"Yup, I have it here in my bag," Brock replied, feeling the sense of relief that Misty was no longer upset at his remarks. He started pulling out the equipment for the tent, when all of a sudden he heard a distant howl in the woods nearby. Brock turned out to see where it was going from.

"Everything alright Brock?" Misty asked, puzzled to see him stop.

"Yeah.. it's just that I heard something.. howling.." he commented, trying to listen for it again.

"Brock, now is not the time to scare us!"

"I'm not making it up, I swear!" Brock retaliated, still listening, but the howling went away. "Whatever it is, it's gone now. Alright, I'll set the fire started while Ash gets the tent set up."

"Right." Ash replied, taking the materials from Brock. He started setting up the poles for the tent in the open area, while Brock pulled out some firewood kindling and started a small fire for Misty. Brock would have to go into the woods to get more firewood later, in order to keep the fire alive for longer.


	2. Setting Up Camp

A few minutes pass by and the tent has been set up... somewhat. Ash was able to get the poles into the ground, but he was having difficulty getting the tent up. Brock was able to get a small fire started, which Misty was rubbing her hands against to warm herself up. He looked up and started laughing at Ash's trouble with the tent.

"Hey quiet you!" Ash retorted, noticing Brock's snickering, "I could use some help though!"

"Haha! Okay okay, I'll help you out," Brock said, wiping away the tears from his eyes, "Say Misty, could you perhaps get some firewood nearby to help build up the fire for us?"

Misty looked up, with a look of shock. "Me? I'm not going into the woods by myself! Not at this time of night!"

"What's the matter?" Ash replied, still struggling with the tent, "You aren't scared, are yah, Misty?"

"N-No! I'm not, Ash!" she retorted, "I j-just feel it's not okay for m-me to go out there by myself, that's all!"

Brock was finishing holding up the tent for Ash to put the supports around, when he dropped them. "Suit yourself, I'll go get them. I'll be right back!"

"Hey!" Ash shouted, letting the tent fall on him. He fought with the warm mesh, trying to escape this entrapped world, which made Misty start to laugh. Ash finally got out of the mesh and threw his hammer down on the ground. "Darn it all!" He yelled out-loud. Misty saw his anger flare up and felt slightly guilty for him. Smiling, she walked over to him, while Ash picked his hammer back up.

"Umm, do you need some help, Ash?" she asked.

At first, Ash was shocked in her change of mood, but he just pushed that aside. "Yeah, could you hold this up for me? I would really appreciate it." Ash replied, giving her the corner of the top. Misty nodded her head, and held the piece of the tent in place, while Ash tied together the last of the tent.

Meanwhile, Brock was walking through the woods, looking for any fallen tree branches. He was enjoying the quietness of the evening, along with a moon-lit, night sky. The cold air was dancing around the trees, making them slightly sway to nature's tempo, like a symphony of darkened pines. It made Brock feel both in companied and yet also like he was being followed, which made him shiver.. either that or it was from the cold of the dark night air. Brock continued to look for any wood lying on the ground, until he arrived at a small pile of various sticks and small branches.

"Ahh, these will do!" He told himself, as he started to pick up some of the pieces of wood on the ground. As he started to collect the various sticks, a twig from the nearby tree snapped. Brock was startled by the noise, turning around to the location of the sound. "Hello?" he called out, the wind slightly picking up, making the trees sway again, "Who's there?" Brock listened for a reply but to no avail, listening to the ambient winds flirting with his mind. He shrugged and tracked back towards the camp.

_"That was really odd.." _Brock thought to himself, _"It's probably just the wind playing tricks on me."_ He chuckled, continuing on his way back.

Ash sighed to himself, smiling at the accomplishment before him. The tent was finally up!

"Thanks for helping me, Misty!" he complimented her, "Couldn't have done it with out you!"

Misty slightly blushed "Oh, it was nothing, honestly. J-Just thought it would appropriate to help you out, that's all." She smiled at him, still shivering from the cold.

Ash noticed this, becoming worried. "You still aren't warming up any?" He commented.

Misty shook her head, slightly chuckling. "No, the fire was nice for a while, but now it's getting too low to produce any sufficient heat.." she explained, feeling her body shivering now.

"Well I, uh, know how we could fix that.." Ash spoke, almost hesitant. Misty gave him a confused look, still keeping her hands in her pockets.

"W-What do you mean?" Misty replied. Before she could be able to continue, Ash wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, feeling the warmth of his body flow through her body. Misty started turning a light red; never had she gotten a hug from Ash! She was so stunned.. "A-Ash! W-What a-are you d-doing?" she stuttered.

"I'm just trying to keep you warm, Misty, that's all." he replied, feeling the warm blush fall also upon his face. Thankfully the darkness of the evening was covering most of it.

"B-But what if Brock c-catches us like this?"

"Don't worry about him," Ash cooed, "Well be okay until he gets back."

"Okay.." Misty replied. She closed her eyes, feeling her body getting warmer and warmer from Ash's body pressed up toward hers. The feeling almost made her numb, from the cold going away, but at the same time this heat felt so good. "Mmm, Ash.." she cooly spoke, "You're so warm right now.. I could be like this all night.."

"He could easily arrange it, if you want to!" Brock's voice rang out from nearby. Both Ash and Misty jumped, scrambling from each other's grasp.

"I-I didn't mean like t-that!" Misty retorted back, blushing madly. _"This is SO embarrassing! I can't believe Brock caught Ash and I they way that we are... that he heard my words to Ash!"_ she thought to herself.

"I-It's not what you think!" Ash also commented, retaining his already present blush.

"Uh-huh, sure it is." Brock replied, giving a sly smile at the two of them. He then noticed the tent was finally up. "Hey you got the tent up! Awesome job!"

"Thanks! Can I help you with the fire?" Ash replied, trying to switch the subject of matter away from the previous moment.

"Sure! Misty, do you want to set up the sleeping bags in the tent?" Brock asked, motioning towards the bags laying on the ground.

"Oh! S-Sure I could do that!" she replied, taking the bags from the pile. Misty disappeared into the tent, starting to set everyone's bed up for the night.

Brock laid down the branches on-top of the low, dancing flames, making them catch with the dead wood and create a nice wave of warmth. Ash moved the sticks around the fire and it was able to catch into a good blaze. He sat down next to the fire, extending his hands out and warming them up. Brock sat down opposite of Ash, giving him a sly smile. Ash looked up, seeing the smile, and became concerned.

"Um, Brock? Why are you smiling like that? What did I do?!" Ash asked, feeling pressured towards something.

"So have you finally come down on a crush on Misty, eh?" Brock asked in reply. Ash felt his face warm up from the question.

_"A crush!?"_ he thought to himself. "What the heck do you mean by that?"

"Don't think I didn't catch you two hugging it up earlier," he commented.

Ash started to blush, looking away. "That was different," he commented, "Misty was shivering and the fire was almost dead.. I hugged her so I could share my warmth with her and make her feel warmer..."

"Whatever you say," Brock replied, still smiling and being cheeky. Misty walked over towards the campfire, now wearing one of her light blue hoodies that had a poke'ball on the front. She sat in between Ash and Brock, putting her hands out to warm by the fire.

"Ahh this fire is so nice right now!" she sighed, feeling the warmth fill her cold hands, "Nice job on the fire guys!"

"Thanks!" both Brock and Ash replied. They sat in silence for a few minutes, taking in the warmth of the bonfire, but it seemed like they were waiting for someone to speak. The only sound that was protruding at the campsite was the familiar sharp, cold air, snaking its way around the trees, making them sway with this natural cadence.

In the distance, a low resonate howl echoed through the woods, which made Brock turns to the source. "_That's the same howl as earlier!"_ he thought to himself, _"Must be some sort of pack moving through this area.."_ As he said this, it reminded him of a story that he had heard about this forest, about the wildlife around this area. Brock looked up at Misty and Ash, then thinking _"Why not? Let's have some fun with the two."_ He started to smile slyly, to which Ash noticed.


	3. The Story

"Brock, what's up?" Ash spoke, suspicious about his smile; lately his smiles haven't exactly been for his benefit.

"I just remembered about a story about this forrest, a story about the wildlife that exists within the forrest."

"No, don't Brock!" Misty exclaimed, catching on to what Brock was toying at.

"Come on, it's just a story!"

"Still! This place is creepy enough as it is! I don't need scary stories to keep me awake!" Misty still pleaded. It had started to become dark in the forrest and with all of the noises being heard that evening it wouldn't help her at all getting to sleep.

"Come on, Misty, you'll be okay." Ash replied, giving her his usual grin. She couldn't help but feel comfortable when he smiled.. Misty was glad that she would at least be sleeping inside a tent, safe from the wilderness.

"Okay fine, but you better not freak me out later!"

"Relax, I won't. Would I do that?" Brock replied, giving his usual sly smile.

"Yes! You would!" she retorted back, knowing that Brock would pull something from his sleeves later on.

"Don't worry, I promise I won't freak you out.. Now can I tell the story?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"So, the story goes that there is a wild pack of wolves that exists around this forrest that stay close to each other. There are like any other type of wolves, but some of these wolves, in the pack, have a major difference within their mechanics. They are born with what some would call a deficiency, that affects their instincts of hunting. And it's affected during particular natural occurrences. They have the ability to sense the presence of unnatural spiritual beings.."

"Woh," Ash commented, "That's actually kinda cool."

"Oh, but they don't do this all the time. They only have this ability with certain occurrences based on the reason. So, for instance, during the winter time, their abilities are only activated when there is a full moon in the sky and when snow is present."

"Snow?"

"Yes, snow. It reflects the moon's light and power and amplifies it. After all, the moon always has had some sort of a spiritual connection with wolves."

"So, how do they know the presence of the spiritual beings?" Ash asked, very interested in the story, yet still not believing in the story.

"If these conditions are right, their spiritual senses are enhanced by the light of the moon and affects the wolves' senses, making it possible to locate these unnatural phantoms."

"P-Phantoms?" Both Ash and Misty asked, shocked to hear it.

"Yes, or if you will.. ghosts.."

"G-Ghosts!" Misty squealed, putting her hands back in her pockets.

"Yes, ghosts.. These special wolves are able to sense the presence of these unnatural beings and can track them down as well.. You can tell if they have found a ghost, because you will see a wolf roam around by themselves. Normally they always travel in packs, but if they are by themselves then know that a unnatural spirit is nearby that wolf."

"D-Do ghosts a-actually exists a-around here?" Misty asked, shivering from the thought of something haunting these woods.

"Who knows.. it's only local legend, but there was a story about a phantom that does live in these woods," Ash leaned in, more interested in the story, "The tale goes that there was a good of travelers going through this particular part of the woods on a way to a holiday party, when it started to snow around them. It was a cold night, just like tonight, and they all had to camp for the evening. During the night, wolves were constantly being heard around them, but never seen. One of the members, curious to all of the commotion going on outside, decided to leave the tent. According to one of the other members, who slightly woke up when the other member left the tent, the last thing that the person saw was one wolf walking nearby the camp. The next morning, the group found the individual lying on the ground, with a pool of blood around their head. At first, they thought that the wolf had attacked him, but they discovered that the person's throat had been slit open by a knife. The group ran into the nearby town asking for help, but when they came back to the body, they found that they were gone!"

"What!" Ash exclaimed, looking at Brock with a shocked face.

"Yeah, strange is it not? After that day, there has always been a warning given out to all travelers along this route to be cautious of their surroundings... because if this legend is true, it could happen to any one... even us!" Brock exclaimed, making Misty jump in his spot.

"D-Don't say that!" Misty replied, holding onto her hoodie closely.

"Ah it's just a story," Ash commented, "Do you believe in it Brock?"

"Who knows... maybe I don't believe in it... but maybe I do! Hahaha!" he exclaimed, laughing menacingly, making Misty cry out.

"Brock! Stop that! You're scaring me!" Misty shivered in her spot.

"Come on, Misty, I'm only teasing you! Personally I don't think the story is true, but its probably a spin off of some crazy man's story of his youth. I'm not too sure." Brock concluded, looking up at the clear night sky. For a night that was cold and heavy, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky at all. Brock sighed. "Well, I'm going to go get some sleep for the night, I'm bushed.." he yawned, standing up.

"What! Y-You can't do that!" Misty shouted at him.

"Do what? I'm tired!"

"You can't just tell a scary story and then go to bed!"

"What else am I suppose to do?"

"I don't know! At least stick around!"

"Psh, why? I don't have any purpose here right now, except going to bed!" Brock retorted back, getting sick of the pointless bickering. He turned to Ash, pulling a smile out of no-where. "Night Ash! I'll see you in the morning!" Brock stormed off, headed for the tent.


	4. Comfort with Darkness

"What's his problem!?" Misty retorted, looking back at the campfire sulking. Ash looked over at Misty, but he didn't say anything. He looked up at the sky, noticing that there were clouds rolling into the area. Ash took a deep breath and drew out a long yawn. Misty looked at Ash, still upset at Brock. "You aren't going to bed too, are you!?" she snapped, which made Ash jump.

"N-No I wasn't! I was just yawning, that's all! Jeez what's biting you?" he replied, feeling like she was pissed off at him.

"Nothing, I just.." Misty sighed, standing up. She moved over towards and sat down next to him. Ash was confused, but before he could ask Misty put her head on his shoulder, moving closer to him. "Oh Ash," she spoke, slightly wobbly in her voice, "You don't think that story is true, do you?"

Ash was relieved, he thought she would go off onto a different subject. "Oh, I don't know. Some parts of the story seemed legit, but the part where the body was gone... it seems a little farfetched doesn't it? I mean, how could a spirit remove a body completely and not leave a single trace? It seems really odd.."

"Hmm.." Misty agreed, still looking at the fire, slightly shivering from both the story and from the cold. It was getting more bitter outside as the night drew on and for Misty her hoodie wasn't providing the warmth it was earlier that day. She continued shivering, moving closer to Ash for warmth. He started to blush, but he was worried about Misty. Ash put his arm around her, making her blush too.

"Are you okay, Mist?" he asked, moving even closer to her. Misty smiled slightly; she always liked it when he called her 'Mist'. But the smile was lost when another gust of wind blustered by.

"No, n-not really.."

"Why? What's wrong, Misty?"

"I'm just so cold... but I don't want to go to bed yet because of Brock's stupid story... I'm still freaked out about it.. I mean, we are in the same forrest that he told in the story, after all.."

"We could still go inside the tent.." Ash commented, "After all, the phantoms didn't enter the tent, now did they?" he reassured her, giving Misty his usual grin. She looked up at him, smiling. The thought was very re-assuring for her, to sleep better that night.

"Yeah, you're right! We'll be safer inside anyway!" Misty spoke, standing up and dusting off herself. Ash let the warmth of Misty become absorbed in his body before the chill of the night took it away. He sighed, standing up as well. "You okay?" Misty asked, now with a changed attitude.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just tired out from the long day." Ash said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Come on, let's get some sleep." Misty spoke, smiling at him and then walking towards the tent. Ash couldn't believe she turned around so quickly.. Something was up, but he couldn't figure out what.. Ash walked behind Misty and they both got into the brown colored tent.

They got inside the tent to find that Brock was sound asleep. He really was tired! Both Misty and Ash shrugged their shoulders at each other and went to their individual sleeping bags. Ash was set up in-between Misty and Brock (for good reasoning of not giving Misty the chance to bet up Brock). He took off his hat and his shoes, placing both of them at the end of his bed. Ash crawled into his sleeping bag, feeling the insulation and warmth of his bag take over. He smiled, enjoying this new-found heat, and laid his head down on the pillow. Misty got into her bag as well, letting her orange hair flow down from her shoulders. Ash liked it when she let her hair fall down, she looked so sexy and so cute, which made him blush thinking about it.

She laid her head down on her pillow, turning to face Ash. Misty smiled, looking at Ash with her cerulean blue eyes. "Goodnight Ash!" she whispered.

Ash smiled, turning to face Misty. "Night Misty! Sleep tight." he whispered back. Misty felt happy that she had Ash by her side through-out the night. The warmth of her sleeping bag was lulling her to sleep. She felt... safe...


	5. Howls of a Midnight Tracker

The sound of a wolf rang through the woods outside, catching Misty's attention. She shot up from her sleeping bag, listening for the sound again. "What was that?" she softly spoke, looking around the tent for the source of the sound. The howl rang out again, sending a shiver down her spine. Misty's heart started racing, her breath becoming shortened with fear. She moved to Ash, shaking him around from his sleep. "Ash!.. Ash! Wake up! Ash please!" Misty begged him. Eventually the jet black haired teenage woke from his slumber.

"Huh? W-What's going on?"

"Ash! I hear wolves outside! And they s-sound c-close to our t-tent!" Misty started to stutter.

"What are you talking about? What wolves?" As soon as he spoke, the wolves howl tore through the woods, startling both Ash and Misty. She grabbed his arm, putting her head near Ash.

"There it is again!" She whispered, scared of the ghastly moan outside. Ash looked over at Brock's sleeping bag, expecting him to be awake, but he was still sound asleep!

_"It's not Brock.. then what is it? There has to be some sort of explanation!"_ Ash thought to himself. "Come on, let's check it out.." Ash whispered to Misty. She looked at him like he just asked sometime insane, in which he did!

"Are y-you crazy?! W-We c-can't go out t-there!"

"We'll be okay! Just stay close to me.." Ash whispered, standing up in the tent. Misty sprung up next to Ash, still keeping close to him. He unzipped the tent and stepped outside into the cold night, with a scared Misty close behind him.

The moon was bright in the late evening sky, not a single cloud to be found. But with the dark skies, there was something new on the ground: snow.

"W-When did it s-snow?" Misty spoke, her eyes wandering around the site.

"It must have snowed right after we went to sleep." Ash spoke, looking around as well. Both of them stood in the snow, looking... listening for the wolves.. there was nothing.. Suddenly a gust of wind came swooping through the camp, catching both Ash and Misty by surprise, sending chills of the cold shooting up their spines. Misty started shivering, moving her hand into Ash's hand, while her left hand was entangled with Ash's arm. He developed quite a blush, but he still keep looking for the wolves making the howling noises.

"Ash, let's j-just get back inside!" She pleaded to him, but as soon as she spoke, the wolf cried out in a long ghastly howl, this time even closer than before. Misty buried her head in Ash's chest, trying to keep herself protected from the wolf. "J-Just go a-away!" she cried, as tears were coming down her face. Ash had never seen her like this before, and seeing her like this... this fragile state.. was so scary for him to see. He looked at the source and found a dark grey creature slowly walking towards the camp, his nose sniffing the ground.

"Misty.. get back in the tent.." Ash spoke suddenly. Misty looked over at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Misty, get back in the tent now!" Ash exclaimed, "There is something approaching us!"

Misty couldn't move, she didn't want to leave him. "Ash.." she squealed, more tears coming out of her eyes.

"Go, please!" Ash spoke, tearing up. He didn't want her to leave, but he wanted her to be okay, to not get hurt if Brock's story was true. Misty hesitated, but then she darted back to the tent. Ash stood his ground, looking towards this creature. From the darkness it would have been impossible to tell, but because the full moon was out, along with the brightened snow, the creature was in plain sight... It was a single wolf walking towards the camp, it's nose sniffing for something. Ash watched in terror, the grey dog progressing on his position. He wanted to flee back to the tent but doing so might freak the wolf out and causing the wolf chase after him. So Ash stood his ground.

The wolf kept walking towards Ash until he got about 10 feet away from him, then the wolf just stopped. Ash was confused by the dog's actions, while the wolf looked up at Ash. It's face was not filled with rage, but it was actually very calm. "What is it?" Ash asked the wolf, not really expecting an answer. The wolf continued looking at Ash with it's piercing light blue eyes.

Suddenly the wolf started to back away from Ash, almost as if it was literally retracting its steps backwards from the camp. He didn't know what he did, but something seemed to spook the wolf away from the camp, because as soon as the wolf got to a few yards away it started to run away. Ash's heart started to race, expecting something to become exposed right in front of his eyes. Slowly he stepped backwards, headed towards the tent; he could hear Misty whimpering inside the tent. _"Don't be scared, I'll be there soon"_ he thought, aiming towards Misty. But something stopped him dead in his tracks..


	6. Contact of the invisible kind

With every step he took backwards, a footstep, facing Ash, was progressing towards Ash, it's imprint being left in the snow. There wasn't anything there except for that footprint in the snow... Ash started panicking, moving quicker towards the tent, but with every step he took the unknown spirit seemed to take another one. A trail of prints was starting to develop and with every step this unknown thing took, Ash took another quicker step. His heart started to race, his body panicking from this unknown person gaining on him. "Get away from me!" he shouted. Ash started to bolt towards the tent, feeling his flight instincts kick in. Ash looked behind him, noticing that the footsteps were still progressing towards him, making Ash run even quicker still.

With about 10 feet away from the tent, Ash tripped on his feet, making him crash to ground, getting his face covered in the snow and cold. He flipped over, still on his backside, crawling towards the tent backwards, watching the steps continue to progress towards him. "Who are you!?" he shouted back, "What do you want!?" he continued, feeling the area around him for the zipper to the tent's opening.

Ash suddenly was lifted off of the ground, being held by the cuff of his collar. Ash tried to moved his hands to get the spirit off of his neck, but the spirit pinned his arms down to his side. He tried to struggle against it but the spirit continued to have him pinned in the air. Ash was about to call out to Misty to help him, but suddenly he heard multiple voices around him...

_"There is but only one thing that I want.." _the voice echoed around him, _"The most necessary essence that is needed by any human being..."_ Ash's face became pale, for he knew what he was going to say next. Suddenly, from the tent canopy, Misty burst out, running towards Ash.

"Get away from him!" she shouted, running with a clenched fist towards this being. But about midway in her attempt to get to Ash, the spirit unleashed a force blast that slammed Misty into the snow banks.

"Misty!" Ash shouted, continuing his efforts to squirm himself free of this spirit's hold, but to no avail: he was completely entrapped in it's hold.

_"Why do you try when you know that you are only going to fail?"_ the whispers continued to omit, speaking towards Misty, _"There is nothing you can do to save him now.. all you can do is sit there and watch him die!"_ Ash looked at the source of the whispers in horror!

"Why do you w-want to kill me? What have I done wrong!?" he retorted back, still squirming around in the grasp of the spirit.

_"You, Ash Ketchum, have never stopped on your journey to appreciate the special things around you.. the special people who are heavily involved with your life.. you are wasting the most precious years of your life..."_

"H-How do you k-know my n-name?"

_"I have been assigned to keep track of your progress through your journey, to see if you are truly appreciating your decision to go on your adventure.. and you have failed your test."_

"But I have made the right decision to go on my journey! There hasn't been a moment that I regret!... well I mean there are small things, but t-they are tribal compared to the overall image of my travels!"

_"PROVE IT!"_ the whisper yelled at him, tightening it's grip on Ash's body, making Ash yelp in pain. The grip was starting to strain his body, and it was starting to make it hard for Ash to breathe. His speech was becoming faltered, increased with the body's need for oxygen. As Ash continued to struggle breathing, Misty was slowly rising from the snow bank. She was covered in the cold snow, her face turning raw red. Misty looked up at Ash, tears rolling down her face, trapped within psychological terror. Ash slowly turned his head over to Misty, watching the tears continue to stream down her face... he couldn't stand seeing her in this kind of agony.

"Well.." Ash started, slowly because of short of breath, "One of my happiest experiences that I've had the privilege of keeping on my journey... was always being side-by-side with Misty. Even though at times we do bicker a lot... I still care about her afterwards.. All of these years I've never been able to tell her how I felt about her... regardless of the numerous opportunities I could've had.. But the truth stands alone over everything... and that is that... I love Misty.." he continued speaking, looking right at Misty. A blush feel upon her face so heavily you couldn't tell if the cold or her blush was making her cheeks red. Her tears still continued to roll down her face, her hands now covering her mouth. Ash tried to take a deep breath only causing his chest more pain. He continued. "And love is something that you able to appreciate every day of your life.. no matter where you go.. no matter what you do.. in the end.. love will always be by your side." Ash finished, still looking at Misty, becoming all teary-eyed, and smiling through the last part of his grand speech.

There was a moment of silence, a silence only occupied by the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.. almost as if it was the time of judgement from the unknown phantom. Suddenly the whispers returned.

_"Love is the only thing that makes you human.. Without it, you would become a monster in the eyes of the world.. I would know this true.. I would not have never expected that you had loved this girl all along, but in truth in you truly were.. your emotions trapped underneath the surface of other grave concerns that occupy your current day.. you are lucky that you have spoken of the truth, and to not have lied to me... that is something worth crediting... Fair enough.. your judgement is upon you... and your test has been passed.."_ Ash's heart felt a wave of strong relief take over his body. As soon as the echoes faded away, the grip on Ash gave way, leaving Ash to fall towards the snow-covered ground. His body smacked onto the cold ground, leaving a "thud" to resonate through the air.

"Ash!" Misty called out him, running towards his side. She got on her knees next to Ash, putting her hands on his cheeks. "Ash! Get up! Ash!" she kept yelling at him, but no response from the teenager. Misty started to tear up again.. "Please no..." she sobbed, putting her head on his chest. Faintly she was able to hear Ash's heart beat, which relieved her that he was still alive. Misty smiled, looking back up at Ash. "Come on, prince Ash, let's get some sleep." Misty got up, lifting Ash on his feet and helping him towards the tent. She kept her arm around Ash, trying to support his weight and getting him to safety. Even though the events had become a dramatic experience for Misty, she was able to find a smile, knowing that her closest friend was okay.. _"Ash.."_ she thought to herself, still thinking of the confession that he made to save his life... _"He was telling the truth too.. I just wish he was still conscious so that I could have made it up to him.."_ she thought, displaying a deep blush on her face.

Misty pulled Ash inside the tent, putting in him in his sleeping bag. She pulled the covers over him and leaned down towards his face, kissing Ash gently on his cold check. "Sleep tight Ash" she whispered in his ear, her face beaming like the sun. Misty slipped back into her sleeping bag, pulling the covers over herself and failing back into the warm haven. Misty felt so happy, now knowing that she and Ash were safe and now they were warm together. She smiled, facing Ash and letting the warmth of her pillow overtake her...


	7. Conclusion

Brock stirred from his sleep, all of his covers being tightly held over his beetle-positioned body. During the night it had suddenly gotten cold in the tent, making him scrunch up to keep himself warm. He slowly took off his covers and yawned loudly, stretching out his stiff back. "Boy it got cold! I'll get some coffee going by the bonfire.." he whispered to himself. Brock slowly started to get up, but he noticed there was something strange in the tent. He looked over at Ash and was shocked that Misty had her arms around him! And not just normally around him, but she had her body up against Ash's body! Brock almost feel back on his sleeping bag. He was stunned for about a good minute, only to be replaced by a sinister smile on his face.

Brock reached in his bag and grabbed out his small, black camera. He started to snap a few photos of the couple sleeping together, snickering to himself through his squinty eyes. "Heh heh heh, blackmail much?" he chuckled to himself, quiet not to wake them up. Brock finished up, putting his camera away, and taking his coffee pot and some matches he headed outside of the tent.

Hearing the zipper close on the tent made Misty wake up from her sleep, moving very slowly. Her body was still numb from the cold the previous evening. Misty nuzzled her head next to Ash's shoulder, wanting to keep in the warmth that they were sharing. She rested her head for about another minute until she realized exactly what going on. Her eyes shot wide open, realizing that she was clinging onto Ash's body!

She panicked, withdrawing her arms from around his body, and putting her hands up to her mouth. Misty started blushing madly: she just sleep next to Ash the whole evening! _"I hope Brock hasn't noticed!"_ Misty thought to herself, to which she looked over to his sleeping bag, only seeing the pulled-forward bed sheets. Misty gasped to herself, "Oh my gosh! This is so embarrassing!" she spoke to herself, her blush growing more than ever.

Then she remember the events of the previous evening.. both of them so close to each other... Ash getting entrapped within the grasp of the phantom... Ash's confession... Her concerns faded away, thinking about his confession of his love towards her. Misty smiled at the thought and slumped back into the bag next to Ash, placing her arms around him again. She smiled, feeling the warmth of Ash, _"I might as well enjoy the moment."_ she thought to herself, drifting back off to sleep with a smile upon her face.

**Fin**


End file.
